Times Change
by Hailey1986
Summary: The BSC never thought they would grow apart, but High School brings on a lot of changes as well as new people.
1. Chapter 1

Graduation Day.

**Mary-Anne.**

The day we had all been waiting for since our school careers had first began was finally here, our High School Graduation. I stood staring at myself in the mirror wearing my cap and gown. I couldn't believe I was actually graduating from High School. I had my long brown hair down so that it hung over my shoulders. I smiled at myself, surprised I wasn't crying yet. I knew I would be at some point during that day, so I hadn't bothered with make-up. As I stared at myself in the mirror, I thought back to the first day of High School.

It had been such a scary experience for me and my former best friends. All the kids seemed so much older then we were. We had been the oldest for so long in Junior High that it seemed strange to be back at the bottom again. I hadn't thought about my old friends for so long now, and the good times we had. Sure we still got along great if we ran into each other, but we were all apart of different crowds. I thought back to our old BSC days. BSC stood for the Baby-Sitters Club.

Back in the seventh grade, my best friend for life Kristy Thomas, had come with an idea to form a club where parents could reach several sitters at once. She had gotten the idea when she watched her mother make several phone calls trying to find a sitter for her little brother David Michael who had been six at the time. Neither she or her brothers had been available. She told me and our other best friend Claudia Kishi her idea and we were all in favour for it. Claudia invited a new girl she met who moved from New York named Stacy McGill and the four of us formed the club.

Over time the club grew, I met a new girl named Dawn from California (who happens to be my step sister now) and we became quick friends. I was fighting with Kristy, Claudia and Stacy at the time, so they didn't meet her right away. But when we all made up, we asked Dawn to join as well. It turned out our parents had dated back in High School but Dawn's grandparents (who are mine now as well) hadn't improved of my father and had sent Dawn's mother to live in California after they graduated High School.

My mother died when I was a baby and Dawn's parents divorced (which is why they came back to Stoneybrook Connecticut where we live) and it wasn't long before our parents started to date. They got married when we were in the eighth grade. Dawn and her younger brother Jeff who was ten at the time couldn't adjust to Stoneybrook and eventually moved back, though Dawn stayed longer then Jeff did. Dawn comes back often to visit, but we aren't as close we were when we were younger. But no one is.

When we were in the eighth grade we invited two more members to join the club, Jessica Ramsey (known as Jessi) and Mallory Pike. They were in the sixth grade at the time and couldn't sit late as us older members could, but they were a lot of help. The seven of us ended up growing close even if we were all different. Then as we grew close we all parted.

We had another friend who joined our group later, Abby Stevenson, she is another I haven't talked to for a very long time. She came when Dawn eventually left for California for good, shortly afterward, Mallory left for boarding school. Jessi who was a ballet dancer ended up leaving because of her ballet. She used to write us a lot in the beginning but she hasn't in years. I do still get the occasional letter from Mallory, but it isn't the same.

There is one important person who was in my life in the eighth grade whom I haven't mentioned yet. Logan Bruno. He was my boyfriend for the entire eighth grade, but we too parted. He is one person I still talk to a lot but he has a girlfriend I believe he is in love with. I've been over him for years, so it doesn't hurt as much as it did in the beginning, even if it was me who ended it. I am glad we've remained friends over the years though. He was my first boyfriend, one I don't think I can forget. Do we ever forget our first love though? I've had several boyfriends since Logan but none can measure up to him.

By the end of the eighth grade, it was just Kristy, Claudia, Stacy and me again. The original four club members. We four went to High School together holding hands. When I think back to it now I realize we all drifted apart the same way we let our hands drop. Kristy was holding my hand, while I held Claudia's and Stacy held Claudia's other hand. Stacy was the first one to drop hands. She had noticed a very good-looking boy who was in the senior year and pointed him out to us. She was the first one to leave our group in the ninth grade.

Stacy became very popular, quickly and she found a new group of friends who she thought was cooler then us. I shouldn't have been surprised, it had happened before in the eighth grade. She had come back though, and we had thought maybe she would again. I let go of Kristy and Claudia's hands next. Everyone who knew me would be surprised to know I was the next one to leave the group. I also found a new group of friends who didn't talk only about sports or art. I tried to be friends with Kristy and Claudia still too, I didn't want to be like Stacy who had ditched us completely. It was hard though, Kristy made it too hard by making me guilty for having other friends. Claudia ended up ditching me for Art students, which wasn't a surprise, she was and is a very talented artist. Kristy was the only one left who wanted to hang onto the past, but none of the rest of us did. Eventually she started hanging around a group who was interested in sports, and sports alone.

Thinking back to middle school and my old friends did bring tears to my eyes. I was brought back to the present quickly though when my bedroom door was flung open. Standing in the doorway was Dawn, my step sister. She had grown so beautiful over the years. She had her pale long blond hair down. It reached all the way down her back. She was wearing a long blue skirt with sea shells on it and a white tank top.

"Oh Mary-Anne!" She shrieked. "It's so wonderful to see you, and you're so beautiful in your cap and gown!"

She ran over to give me a tight hug. It was as if we hadn't seen each other in years, but it was only a week ago since I had seen her graduate from her High School. Before that, it had been at least a year. I hugged her back enthusiastically. Even if we weren't as close as we had been, I loved seeing her and her younger brother Jeff. Jeff had followed her in the bedroom and was leaning up against the wall smirking at us. At fifteen he was tall and a very good-looking boy for his age. I was sure he had a lot of girlfriends back in California.

"_Girls_." He said. "You're dad wants you downstairs Mary-Anne."

He turned and left, he only ever called my father Mr. Spier even though my father had always told him he could call him Richard. Jeff had never been comfortable with that though. Dawn grabbed my hand and pulled me from the room.

AN: This story is going to go back to the ninth grade and work it's way up to Graduation Day and so on. I'm doing Kristy, Claudia and Stacy's moment before Graduation as well first. The BSC time line is a little strange since they started eighth grade over and over again. So in this story Mary-Anne broke up with Logan at the end of eighth grade, Mallory and Dawn left at the end of the eighth grade. I want it to stay in order (there are a few books I have to re-read) because the BSC time line doesn't make sense. Mary-Anne and Logan break up around the time they got together but yet they were together all through eighth grade. So in this story, they get together at the beginning of eighth grade around Halloween and they break up good at the end of it. Hope that makes sense. Let me know if there is anything missing I should know. It may take time for me to get chapters up because I am also re-reading the books at the moment too.

This story will be told from Mary-Anne's, Claudia's, Kristy's, Stacy's and Logans. Not a lot from Logan though, but there will be chapters from him. Sometimes I will be putting in Mallory as well as some other random characters as they grow older. I like the Pike kids a lot, so there will be some chapters with a Pike kid and sometimes other people. Mostly it will be Mary Anne, Claudia, Kristy and Stacy though. I don't know Abby enough, so I will include her in but she might not have her own chapter until I've read her books. Oh and the chapters will be longer after the Graduation ones.

RR


	2. Chapter 2

Graduation Day

**Kristy**

"Where is my Graduation Cap!" I yelled running from my room in my long gown.

I had searched for the past half-hour frantically for it. If it wasn't in my room, then one of my younger brothers or sisters likely had it. I should have known someone would have taken it from my room, but my parents didn't like when I locked my door. I ran down to my younger step-sister Karen's room to see if she had it. She had recently turned eleven years old and was very tall and slim for her age. She was going to grow up be a very beautiful girl, I could see it now as I watched her examine herself in a full length mirror, wearing a pretty pink dress.

"Kristy!" She exclaimed spotting me. "Do I look all right? You can't see the chocolate stain can you?"

"Chocolate stain?" I asked examining her dress.

"Yeah, Emily Michelle got chocolate in my dress but Nannie got it out. I keep worrying it's noticeable though." She said pointing to a spot on her dress.

I stared but I didn't see anything. It looked perfectly fine which I told her. "Karen, you haven't seen my Graduation cap have you?"

She shook her head, she turned to look at herself in the mirror again. "I wonder if I should do more with my hair?"

I shook my head and left the room. I always knew Karen would grow up to be girly. At her age I had been a tom boy (I still was) and hadn't cared about my hair or clothes. Karen reminded me of Stacy, though I hadn't know Stacy when she was eleven. I had met her when she was twelve but I was sure Stacy would have been like that at age eleven too. Thinking about Stacy hurt though, so I pushed the thought of her from my mind and continued on to look for my Graduation Cap.

I entered my eleven year old brothers room next. He would be turning twelve soon and certainly acted like a twelve year old boy when it came to his room. It was so messy, I was surprised my mother or step-father Watson hadn't said a word about it to him. He wasn't in the room so I looked around the room for the cap instead, but I couldn't stand the smell of old socks so I left the room quickly.

As I left the room I nearly collided with Andrew my eight year old step brother and Emily Michelle, my six year old adopted sister. My parents adopted her when she was two from Vietnam. Emily Michelle was wearing my Graduation Cap and running from Andrew who was chasing her down the hall. Emily was laughing.

"Hold it." I said, grabbing her arm.

"I tried getting it back for you." Andrew explained. "She was pretending she was graduating High School."

"How come I don't get a Graduation?" She asked. "I graduated Pre-School but not Kindergarten. I am going to the first grade next year. That's a big step, that's what everyone says."

"You did Graduate." I said taking my hat and examining it for any chocolate stains. "If you want, we'll hold a Graduation ceremony for you later. For now, we need to get ready for mine."

"Charlie and Sam are home now." David Michael said running up the steps. "They told me to tell you to get downstairs. Charlie said he didn't think he would see _you_ graduate from High School."

Charlie had recently graduated from college, while Sam was going into his Junior year. It had been a while since I had seen either one of them. Charlie had been busy with parties after his Graduation, while Sam had been across the country in California. I hadn't really been to California in years. Why would I when the person who I had visited there was no longer my friend, neither was her step-sister. They both thought they were too good for me. Dawn often tried to talk me if she was visiting Stoneybrook, but I didn't know why she wasted the time to. I knew she and Mary-Anne didn't want to anything to do with me. I never thought Mary-Anne and I would grow apart, but four years ago we had.

I didn't want to think about Mary-Anne or Dawn either. Instead I hurried downstairs to greet my brothers. I wondered if my dad, Patrick would be at my Graduation like he had promised he would be. He said he and his wife would be there, a long with their two year old daughter Francine, my half sister. It hurt to think about him having another family, but I also hoped he would stay with them and not walk out on us, as he had on my family.

When I got downstairs, I was greeted very enthusiastically by Sam and Charlie who pulled me into a sandwich hug. Then flashes were going off as my mother and Watson both began snapping pictures of me. I really couldn't wait for this day to end.


	3. Chapter 3

Graduation Day

**Claudia**

"Now, I know you are nervous. But you do not have to be. When you go up, you take your diploma and smile at everyone." Janine said. "It is the same as when you have won an Art award. Make sure you don't rush off the platform. Dad is going to take pictures of you."

"I know." I said. "We had a rehearsal."

Janine was right though, I was nervous. Who would have thought that I, Claudia Kishi would graduate from High School. I even doubted myself at times, if it wasn't for art classes, I might have dropped out. I didn't want to disappoint my parents though, they had wanted to see me graduate from High School. I wasn't graduating at the top of my classes like Janine had though. I wasn't a genius like she was. She had graduated High School at the top of the year, she had been Valedictorian and she had also graduated from College as well. It had been agony that year. Ninth grade had been hard enough, but with Janine being so successful while I had just barely passed the ninth grade, it had been hard.

I was graduating though, I had the cap and the gown and I was even going to win a scholarship for my art. My art teacher had pulled me aside to let me know the week before. I hadn't mentioned it to my parents yet. I was sure at the moment they were disappointed with me because I wasn't Valedictorian like Janine had been. I wasn't Graduating college either. I hadn't been taking any college courses like Janine had been at my age.

I was going to an Art school, and that's all it was. I hadn't tried looking for any colleges to further my education. I was so tired of school, I just didn't care anymore. All I cared about was getting someone big to notice my art so that maybe someday I could be famous. Everyone would see a sculpter or a painting and they would say:

"Well that must be Claudia Kishi's. I must have it." They would ask if anyone knew when I was coming out with something new because they would want that as well.

Janine was fussing with my gown as I thought about all of this. She was very successful at some computer company that she worked at and she was only turning twenty-one. She wasn't in any steady relationship though, which I knew she wished she was. Lately she had been asking me for my advice on what she should do. It was strange having Janine asking _me_ for advice. I didn't know what to tell her, I hadn't had a boyfriend for a year. I could never keep someone for a long time, though there had been plenty of boys I liked.

I wasn't like Stacy McGill who always seemed to have a new boyfriend. Stacy was popular in more ways then one. I always saw some new boy hanging off her and she didn't seem to notice. Or she did, but she didn't care. She knew she could any boy she wanted and she didn't have to try. I knew she slept around, everyone did. It wasn't that Janine or I were ugly but Janine was too smart, and I guess maybe boys didn't like the artsy type of girls. The boys in my art classes in High School had never really interested me. Which was strange when I thought about it.

"Your friend was here earlier." Janine said as she stepped back to examine me in my cap and gown.

"Which one?" I asked.

My friends were always stopping by. They liked hanging around my house because of my junk food. We would work on our art, or talk about while eating some snack kind of snack food. Or maybe it was because I had my own phone line. Not many of my friends carried cell phones around, including me, but we didn't like tying up our parents phone lines.

"Stacy McGill. I don't think I've seen her in years."

"Stacy McGill!?" I asked. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure." Janine said. "She still looks the same as she did, maybe prettier but I recognized her right away. Whatever happened between you, Mary-Anne, Stacy and Kristy anyway?"

I ignored her question, I didn't want to talk about how we had all drifted apart. Though Mary-Anne and I talked sometimes, we weren't friends anymore. Kristy ignored me completely though. Stacy waved sometimes, but we had spoken in years. Not since we'd had a large fight in ninth grade that had ended our friendship forever.

"Did she say what she wanted?" I asked instead of answering her question.

"She said she wanted to talk to you." Janine said. "She told me her phone number is the same if you remember it. If you don't, she said you can just go to her place."

I hadn't dialed Stacy's number in years, but I still remembered it. Her number had been the one I had dialed the most out of all of my friends. Suddenly, I was very impatient for Graduation to begin and end. I didn't know why I was excited to talk to Stacy again, but I was.


	4. Chapter 4

Graduation Day

**Stacy**

"Oh, just leave me alone!" I snapped at the phone in my room as it rang for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

All morning my cell phone had been ringing. I had been tempted to just shut it off. My father was supposed to call it to let me know when he was in Stoneybrook though. Everyone kept calling me and asking me the same question. Can you believe we are Graduating today? It was usually one of my girl friends with an annoying ditzy squeal in her voice. I didn't want to talk to any of them anymore, I couldn't wait until I was in New York where I didn't have to deal with any of them anymore.

There were three people whom I really wanted to talk to more the anything, but I wasn't sure if they wanted to talk to me. I didn't blame them if they didn't, I had been ignoring them the past four years of High School. I regretted it, and although I knew they weren't the same people they were back in the ninth grade, I missed them. I knew none of them were ditzy. I was excited about graduation, the same as anyone else but I was also nervous.

I wanted to talk to Claudia in the worst way. I wanted to apologize, and although I knew we wouldn't go back to being the friends we were, I wanted to be friends with her. She was the only person who could always keep me calm. She was the one who had always made me feel whole. I still talked to Mary-Anne at times, but I could sense some resentment in her voice. That and I was sure she like everyone else thought I was nothing but a slut.

I couldn't wait to get away from all the rumours about who I had slept with and how many times. No one would believe that I had never slept with _anyone_, not even my supposed best friends. Sure I had several boyfriends, but we had never gone too far. I was sure they all liked to talk about how far they had gone with me though. Who would believe me when the boys always talked about how they slept with Stacy McGill, and how easy it had been.

Not one of those boys had ever said I had smacked his hand away if he wanted to touch me in an inappropriate place. Not one of those boys ever said that I had told them I was waiting for someone special, which I was. I wasn't the type to want to wait until I was _married_, but I wanted to trust the guy first. I wanted to have a real commitment with them. None of the sleazy boys from my High School had been like that, and if they were, I hadn't met them.

I was surprised Mary-Anne or Kristy hadn't found the perfect guy in the ninth or tenth grade and had stayed with them all through High School. Mary-Anne seemed the type to have a long-term boyfriend. She wasn't the same as she had been back in eighth grade, but she was still sensitive, she just had a lot more confidence. Kristy was a tom boy, but she seemed like the kind of girl who would meet the right kind of boy and stay with them forever. As far as I knew, neither had done too much dating. Though I never talked to Kristy, which I regretted.

I missed them all so much that I wanted to do something with them all like we had in the old days. I wanted to invite Kristy, Claudia and Mary-Anne over for a sleep-over, like we had in the olden days to catch up and get to know each other again. I wanted them, along with Shannon Kilbourne, Abby Stevenson, Jessi Ramsey, Mallory Pike and Dawn Schafer. I knew they were all in town again. It was just convincing them all to do it.

I know it seemed childish, and the reason I had stopped talking to them was because I had thought they were all childish, but I didn't care anymore. I missed my old friends and I wanted to get together with them all before we all went off to college. There was a chance we wouldn't see each other again after this summer.

I started working out a plan as I stared at my cell phone which had stopped ringing. It was usually a Kristy Thomas plan, but it was because of me everyone had split up, and now I was determined to get everyone back together for our last summer in Stoneybrook. I smiled at myself in the mirror as I stood in my graduation cap and gown.

"Yes, today is a day for changes." I said. "It's time to make up for the past before I grow up."

There was a knock on my door. I turned to see my mother enter. Her face broke out into a large grin when she saw me.

"Oh you are so beautiful." She said with tears in her eyes. "You looked beautiful prom night... but this, this is too much."

"Don't let your makeup run too much." I told her. "Save that for later."

She laughed. "Your right. Your father called, he said you didn't answer your cell. He wanted me to tell you that he will meet us at the school."

I nodded. "I guess we should get going then."

She held out her hand to me, I hadn't held my mothers hand in years, but suddenly I felt like a little girl again. I wanted to be one again at that moment, I had plenty of time to be grown up later.

AN: Now it will go the beginning of ninth grade. Once I get to the end of twelfth grade, it will continue from this point. So you'll know what will happen eventually. You have a good summary of what will happen in High School though. Chapters are also going to be much longer. I am working on the first chapter, but I don't know when it will be up.


End file.
